Some are also using alternative fuels such as coal, wood, and even cow dung.

In other news, Europe's largest automaker, Volkswagen, is set to cut 50,000 jobs by the end of the decade, in the face of falling sales in China and North America, and the punitive tariffs by US President Trump.

Volkswagen said the jobs would go in Germany across the entire group, as part of a restructuring effort amid the gloomy business climate worldwide.

Pumping chemicals into the ocean to stop global heating? As reckless as it sounds, scientists are testing the waters. They hope the dispersal of 65,000 litres of sodium hydroxide into the Gulf of Maine could help combat global heating.

The experiment, licensed by the US Environmental Protection Agency, occurred 50 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. Scientists believe boosting the ocean's natural alkalinity using a chemical antacid would lead to the ocean absorbing more carbon. But climate campaigners are concerned.

In today's newsletter, we will talk about

• Preventive healthcare beyond hospitals
• Mozark's $40M fundraise

Here's your trivia for today: Which gemstone is formed from natural volcanic glass?

Startup

Preventive healthcare beyond hospitals

Diagnosing eye diseases requires bulky machines and specialist clinics, which are often concentrated in large cities. But for millions living in smaller towns and rural regions, access to timely eye screening remains limited.

Bengaluru-based healthtech startup Remidio is trying to change that by shrinking ophthalmic diagnostic equipment into portable kits and pairing them with artificial intelligence. The company's devices allow frontline healthcare workers to conduct eye screenings using smartphones-bringing preventive diagnostics closer to patients.

Smart diagnostics:

• Founded by Anand Sivaraman, Remidio builds hardware and AI tools that enable early detection of eye diseases and, increasingly, systemic health risks through retinal analysis. The company has deployed over 4,000 devices globally and conducted about 16 million screenings across 55+ countries.
• The company's smartphone-based diagnostic devices with custom optics are capable of capturing detailed retinal images. These images are analysed using AI algorithms to detect conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
• "For us, the purpose is simple," says Sivaraman. "If you can detect disease early, you can prevent blindness and improve long-term health outcomes."

Funding Alert

Startup: AquaExchange

Amount: $8M

Round: Series B

Startup: Newtrace

Amount: $6.3M

Round: Pre-Series A

Startup: Captain Fresh

Amount: Rs 290 Cr

Round: Undisclosed

Funding

Mozark's $40M fundraise

Digital experience testing and measurement company Mozark has raised $40 million in a Series B funding round led by International Finance Corporation and RMB Capitalworks. Existing investor Kalaari Capital also participated in the round.

The Singapore-headquartered company is an AI-powered platform that tests and measures the performance of digital services across devices, networks, and infrastructure to help organisations detect and fix issues before users experience them.

Powering performance:

• Mozark enables organisations to measure and improve service performance in real-world conditions, detect gaps early, and ensure reliable digital experiences at scale.
• It serves over 50 enterprises and government clients across over 20 countries, including regulators, telecom operators, financial institutions, and global digital-native organisations. Its deployments run on several thousand live devices, and Mozark has executed over 25 million tests.
• The company will use the newly raised capital to deepen its real-world testing and measurement across native digital AI stack, including apps, networks, and AI infrastructure. A portion of the capital will also be used to accelerate expansion in priority markets, including the United States and the Global South.

News & updates

• Social media: UK MPs have turned down the call for social media ban on children under 16 years and have instead backed flexible ministerial powers. Such a ban was made in Australia; similar plans were backed by peers in the House of Lords in January. But MPs have voted against the proposal for an outright ban.
• Markets rebound: Oil prices fell and global stocks rebounded after US President Donald Trump signalled that the Iran war might end 'soon'. Prices of oil have tumbled from four-year highs. The European markets rose, following an overnight rally in Asia.
• Export surge: China's exports jumped by over 20% in January and February, nearly three times the rate predicted by economists, trade tensions with the US notwithstanding. The country is now on track to top its record-breaking annual trade surplus in 2025.